Epilogue: 25 Years of Change
by Kasamari
Summary: Twenty-five years after high school, the next generation gets together for a summer break away from the rest of the world. The final installment of the Changes Series. (While this is under ATLA it should be under ALOK. For some reason the site will not give me that category as an option.) AU, No Bending Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Legend of Korra


Chapter 1

Let Summer Begin

Korra rolled over in her warm bed and yawned before slowly opening her eyes. Her half-awake gaze landed on the clock that rested on her nightstand which reported the time to be eight in the morning. Her first class would start in an hour. She smiled at that thought.

"At least it would if finals hadn't been yesterday," she said to herself as she pulled her comforter over her head. Her plan for the foreseeable future was to spend the next who-knows-how-long buried under her covers and enjoying the first day of summer break. She had not taken a summer semester off since she started college two years ago after all, and she decided she deserved a break.

Just as she was starting to drift off back into the world of sleep and dreams, she heard a soft knock invade her nice, quiet apartment and filter into her room. The plan shifted to "ignore them and they'll go away." Korra turned her back to her bedroom door and curled up into a ball. After a few minutes whoever was knocking was sure to leave, probably after trying to call her cell phone once or twice but Korra could ignore that as well.

When the knocking did not repeat itself Korra waited for the vibrations of the phone on the nightstand. Surprisingly enough the sound never came. Korra strained her ears to try and hear if her unwelcomed guest was walking away from the door. After a moment of silence, Korra could barely make out a jingling sound that she knew all too well. That was the sound of someone getting their keys. There were only two people other than Korra who had keys to her apartment and she was fairly certain that the landlord/serviceman was not making rounds this early.

A smile crept onto Korra's face as she heard the door open and close out in the living room. Light steps moved across the floor and came to a stop just outside the bedroom. A knock just as soft as the one on the front door now came from the door only a few feet from Korra's bed and she smiled even more.

_No! _Korra thought as she tried to force the smile away. _This is not a good thing! I'm trying to be lazy on my first day off, and I don't want anyone coming over!_

When a response did not follow the uninvited guest's knocking, the doorknob turned almost silently before the door open just a crack. Korra could imagine her company peering into the room and seeing her still curled up in bed. She heard the door finish opening followed by two soft footsteps before the bed shifted under the weight of the person sitting down on it.

"Good morning."

_I could really get used to waking up like this,_ Korra thought. Then she squeezed her eyes shut from beneath her blanket force field and reminded herself that she was _not_ waking up.

"How long are you going to lay there pretending to sleep?"

Korra did not answer. If she absolutely refused to respond, then maybe the plan would work. Plan "ignore them and they'll go away" was still salvageable! All she had to do was be absolutely still and quiet. Also, she had to successfully ignore the fingers that were now digging into her blanket, maliciously poking into her side in a cruel attempt to tickle her.

She failed.

Miserably.

Korra shifted and twitched as she tried to fight the urge to laugh. Suddenly she let out a loud squeaking sound that caused her assailant to stop mid attack.

"Did you just squeal?"

"I did not," Korra replied flatly, finally sitting up.

Asami was just looking at her with a half-smile on her face now struggling with the same fight to not laugh that Korra was faced with moments ago. Korra responded to this by smacking her friend in the face with her pillow.

"I'm not supposed to be awake right now," Korra complained when Asami started to laugh anyway. "You're the one who insisted I take this summer off anyway, so what are you doing here so early?"

"I've got a little surprise for you," Asami said. "In celebration of you _finally_ taking some time off from school, I've made a few arrangements."

"But I already have plans," Korra whined as she fell back and pulled the blanket back over her head. Asami responded by yanking the blanket completely off of the bed. Korra could not help but curl up into a ball at the sudden chill that hit her legs and arms. Then Asami took hold of her hands and pulled her back into a sitting position.

"I promise that you'll like what I've got in mind," she smiled. "Go take a shower so we can get going."

Sighing in defeat, Korra marched over to the bathroom across the hall and shut the door. It was going to be one of those days. It _was_ a nice way to wake up though, except for the whole stealing of the blanket part. After a quick shower she returned to her room to find the bed made and a change of clothes laid out for her.

"I can take care of myself," she called to the living room as she pulled the blue tank top over her head. "You know that right, Asami?"

"I just want to get moving," Asami called back, excitement in her voice.

"What could you possibly have planned that's worth getting this worked up over?"

Korra stepped out into the living room to see Asami at the door with a packed bag by her side. Asami's smile brightened in anticipation of the question that popped into Korra's head. Her eyes widened expectantly and Korra knew she was just waiting for her to ask. Korra gave Asami a lopsided smile as she tilted her head to the side.

"Okay, what's with the bag?"

"We're going on a trip," Asami told her.

"Uh-huh," Korra replied, folding her arms but still smiling. "Where are for how long?"

"One full week of vacation," Asami said. "The 'where' part will have to be a surprise."

"And you expect me to just take off for a week with no notice or anything?" Korra tried to sound resistant, but she could not stop smiling.

"Are you coming or not?" Asami asked, turning away from her and walking out the door with her bag.

Korra did not bother to reply. She ran after Asami, barely remember to lock the apartment before jumping into Asami's car. Korra cheered as the convertible roared to life and they tore off down the street.

"When's the last time I told you that I love your car?"

"The last time you rode in it," Asami laughed.

* * *

A few hours and a few hundred miles later, Korra was fairly certain that she knew what Asami had planned. The beach was beautiful and the water looked so inviting. Korra could not remember the last time that she had been able to make it out to the beach. Just as Korra was about to ask where they were going to be staying, Asami pulled into a small parking area by the beach and turned off the car.

"We're stopping here?" Korra asked.

"I need to stretch my legs," Asami said. She gestured to the beach with her chin. "Want to go for a little walk?"

Korra smiled as she climbed over the door of Asami's convertible. The two pulled off their shoes and socks and wandered out onto the warm sand and down to the water. Asami began to walk through the tide where the water washed over her feet and she just smiled. Korra joined her and the two walked in a comfortable, companionable silence for a time.

That was the nice thing about being with Asami. Korra never felt pressured to fill the silence between the two of them whenever it came. She was perfectly comfortable to simply share space and time with her.

"I'm glad we're friends," Korra said suddenly. The statement caught Asami by surprise.

"What brought that on?"

"Well, we didn't exactly hit it off when we met, you know?"

"True," Asami admitted. "In my defense though, I thought you were just another airheaded, glossy-eyed girl after my cousin."

"I guess I kind of was," Korra chuckled thinking back to her relationship with Mako. Then she turned to Asami and smiled. "I never would have thought back then that you would be my closest friend."

Asami returned the smile affectionately. The two of them continued to walk in silence as the waves brushed over their feet. The sun felt warm and gentle on their skin rather than oppressive, despite it being close to midday in summer. Staring out over the water, Korra could not think of a better way to spend her first day of vacation.

Looking down the beach Korra could see a volley ball net near what looked like a large house. It was at this moment that Korra realized that she had not seen a single person on the beach. Even the area that Asami had parked in was empty when they had arrived. Had this area's schools not yet closed for the season? That would account for the beach being almost empty, but not completely devoid of people.

"Where is everyone?" she asked. She looked over to see Asami smiling conspiratorially. "Asami?"

"This is a private beach," Asami said. "It's usually open to the public, but it'll be closed this week."

"Your family owns a beach?" Korra exclaimed.

"My mother would never buy a beach," Asami laughed. "It's actually owned by some close friends."

A loud yell similar to a battle cry sounded from the direction the two young women were walking. Korra's eyes widened as she clearly saw a figure on top of the nearing house waving eagerly at them. She could barely make out the words "They're coming" being yelled down to the ground before the now familiar person started jumping up and down while waving both arms at them from the rooftop.

"Bumi's here!" Korra exclaimed. "Asami, Bumi's here! How is Bumi here?"

Asami took off running towards the house with Korra chasing after her. The two of them were met on the beach by a collection of friends that Korra had not seen all in one place in quite a long time. It was so surprising to see everyone together that she did not know where to start when everyone began to greet and hug her.

"I can't believe this! How are you all here? I mean with your jobs and lives and—" Korra stopped mid-sentence as an aroma filled her nostrils and her stomach growled. "I smell pizza."

The group ushered her inside, most of them talking as they went. It was not until everyone had gotten into the large stack of pizza boxes left on the table and found seats in the living room that any real conversation could begin. Korra sat herself down in the middle of the floor and just looked at everyone with a smile on her face and pizza in her mouth as the conversation got underway.

"It has been way too long," Bolin was saying as he took a bite.

"I know," Kya agreed. "We haven't all been together in forever."

"I meant since I've had pizza!" Bolin exclaimed as he inhaled another slice of meat lovers. "Do you have any idea what my managers would do to me if they knew I was pigging out like this?"

"Between boxing and acting I'm surprised you were able to even make it out this week," Mako said to his cousin.

"You're one to talk," Lin teased. "Ever since you left the precinct for the private sector that client of yours has had you on a short leash. How'd you convince him not to follow you out here?"

"I told Wu that if he couldn't last a week without me, he had a lot more to worry about than just needing a bodyguard."

"How are things going at work by the way?" Izumi asked Lin from the other side of the room. "With Father's big push to finish cleaning up Serpent's Pass, I'm sure you've been busy."

"Your dad was the best police chief the department has ever had," Lin said with admiration. "He spent years trying to get that area under control. Everyone's got their plates full from the new chief down, and we're all missing him. I'm just sorry he had to get into politics to be able to finally start getting Serpent's Pass taken care of."

"Dad doesn't like it much either," Mako said.

"Well I'm not complaining," Kya huffed. "I know Dad's always going to be a policeman at heart, but the perks to him being elected mayor totally outweigh the cons. Number one being that he comes home every day. He might still be busy with paperwork, but at least me and Mom get to see him now."

"Mom and I," Izumi corrected her little sister.

"Speaking of parents," Suyin interrupted, "Mom and Dad sent me a picture yesterday!"

Suyin pulled out her phone and passed it around. When it made its way to Korra she took one look and started laughing. She had met Aang and Toph Bei Fong only once so far, but they were just as memorable as their four children. In the picture Aang was lying on his stomach propping up his smirking face with one hand while his wife sat victoriously on his back, both hands extended with the middle and index fingers raised and an ear to ear grin beaming at the camera.

"Where are they now?" Korra asked as she passed the phone to Asami.

"Beats me," Suyin smiled. "The message said they'd just finished rock climbing. Dad made it to the top first, but Mom says he cheated."

"She says that every time Dad wins," Tenzin smiled warmly.

"That's because no one can beat Mom without cheating," Lin said flatly.

"Yeah, Mom said so herself," Bumi added.

So the conversation went. Korra sat back and listened as her friends chatted away about their lives, catching up on lost time. Korra had gotten to meet the parents of her friends on many occasions and it was always nice to hear how they were doing as well. In fact, that was how her association with her friends began.

Korra had first met Bolin five years ago when she was sixteen. Bolin's aunt Katara had come as a guest instructor to her Tai Chi class and Bolin had accompanied her along with his mother Suki. The two of them hit it off almost instantly and Korra could still remember the matchmaker look in Katara's eyes when Bolin had introduced her after the class had ended. It was only a few days later before Korra had received an invitation to join Katara and Suki's families for dinner one weekend. That was the day Korra had met Mako, his older sister Izumi, his younger sister Kya and their father Zuko. It was also through her friendship with Bolin that she had met Bumi, which in turn got her introduced to his three younger siblings Lin, Tenzin and Suyin. Meeting their parents had been an experience.

"So Bumi, you never did tell us how you managed to get time off," Kya said.

"It wasn't easy I tell you," Bumi started. "You know, they had me picked out for a very important mission overseas. Why the general himself approached me telling me that I was the only one he could trust to get the job done! He said that the fate of the very nation was resting on my hands! I told him 'sorry, sir, but I have plans to be with my family that week.' Poor guy was so disappointed about it. He kept begging and begging me to accept the mission, but in the end he finally relented and ended up sending a couple of squads of Special Forces instead. The general said 'they're no Bumi Bei Fong, but they'll just have to do.'"

No one really believed Bumi's story, but they all loved listening to it anyway. With the exception of Lin and Tenzin that is. Neither of them had bothered to hide their skepticism over the claims their brother made, but at the very least they did not speak up about it.

"What about you, Korra?" Tenzin asked, steering the conversation away from his older brother's antics. "How have you been?"

"Swamped mostly," Korra sighed as she lay back on the hardwood floor. "School was starting to drive me a little nuts. It always feels like there's too much to learn and not enough time to learn it in. I like what I'm studying and all, but the rules for keeping my scholarship make it real difficult sometimes. I've thought about maybe giving up the scholarship so I could be a part time student, but then I'd have to pay for it all myself and I just can't afford the university I'm at, you know? I'd have to transfer."

Korra's words hovered in the air for a few minutes while everyone was quiet. It was Suyin who spoke up first.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to be having a party?" she asked. "And aren't we at a beach house? Why aren't we out there in the sun and sand?"

Everyone cheered their agreement as they scattered across the house, probably looking for their bags to grab their swimsuits. Korra followed the group's lead and searched for hers as well. School could wait, that was why she was taking this vacation after all. Thanks to Asami she was even getting to enjoy some much needed time with her friends. This was promising to be a very memorable summer.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I'm an idiot. I was under the impression I could get a fulfilling epilogue out in a oneshot. Yeah, not happening. Look forward to more! Also, I know this should be in Avatar: The Legend of Korra, but unfortunately FF is only letting me post "New Stories" in my previously selected categories. If anyone knows a way to fix this, I will take the necessary steps to migrate this story to the area it belongs and with the right tags. Hope to see you all soon!


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